Adjustable flow bean



w Mf- I Jan. l2, 1954 Filed Sept. ll, 1951 O. JCHNSTON ET AL ADJUSTABLEFLOW BEAN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /wfi - INVENTOR.

Mapa/c4 a, Jam/.smv Meer c. .5K/ppi@ Jan- 12, 1954 M. o. JOHNSTON ETAL2,665,758

ADJUSTABLE: FLOW BEAN Filed Sept. ll, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VW WPatented Jan. 12, 1954 ADJUSTABLE FLOW BEAN Mordica 0. Johnston,Glendale, and Harry C. Skipper, Montrose, Calif., assignors, by mesneassignments, to Johnston Testers, Inc., Houston, Tex., a, corporation ofDelaware Application September 11, 1951, Serial No. 246,086

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an adjustable flow bean.

The adjustable now bean of the present invention will be described asbeing incorporated in a formation tester, but this reference is notintended to limit the invention but only to show a practical applicationof the present invention.

Adjustable flow beans are utilized to adjustably retard or resist theilow of iiuid, frequently formation iiuid from a formation zone, into adrill string or equivalent device, and usually from below a packersealing off the bore at a point above the formation. This restrictingand retarding effect eliminates the detrimental eiects on the formationaccompanying' the sudden release of high pressure formation fiuid frombelow a packer into a low pressure zone such as the interior of a drillstring or the like, and also reduces wear and erosion on the formationtester or drill string or equivalent device.

A main object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable flowbean which can be incorporated in a formation tester or other suitableoil well tool or drill string, and which adjustable ilow bean, thoughbeing operated by relative rotation between the drill string carryingthe upper part of the flow bean assembly and the lower fixed part of theflow bean assembly, is releasably locked against rotative movement sothat a rotative drive may be established through the ad- .lustable flowbean before or after the ilow bean is put into operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable iiowbean comprising a housing formed interiorly with an upper small bore anda lower large bore, there being a tubular mandrel slidably receivedWithin the small bore and having a plurality of vertically spaced portsformed in the walls thereof increasing in size from the lowermost to theuppermost and sealingly separated from one another by O rings carried bythe mandrel and sealingly engaging the walls of the small bore, andwhich now bean includes means for causing the tubular mandrel to beprogressively projected into the large bore to progressively expose theports from the lowermost to the uppermost.

Various other objects of the present invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a formation tester having an adj 2 tional views taken alonglines 2A-2A and 21B-2B and showing the upper and lower portions of theflow bean shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2B but showing the flow bean as havingtwo of its iiow bean passages or ports exposed.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 4 4 of Fig. 2Bshowing the releasable keying connection between the upper tubularmandrel andthe housing.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 2Band showing the spline connection between vthe traveling nut and t-hehousing.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar referencecharacters designate similar parts throughout, Fig. 1 discloses anadjustable flow bean assembly generally entitled 9 incorporated in astandard formation tester Il, such as disclosed in U. S. Letters PatentNo. 2,073,107 entitled, Well Testing Method and Apparatus Thereior,issued to Mordica O. Johnston, March 9, 1937, and also disclosed onpages 2571 and 2573 of the Composite Catalog of Oil Well and Pipe LineEquipment, 1950 edition. The formation tester il includes a trip valveassembly I3, a retaining valve assembly l5, an. equalizing valveassembly Il, a packer assembly I9, and an anchor 2 l, all suitablyconnected together. The adjustable flow bean 9 of the present inventionis interposed between the trip valve assembly I3 and the retaining valveassembly l5.

Retaining valve assembly l5 is adapted to be opened upon a downwardmovement of the upper portion of the formation tester relative to thelower portion thereof to compress a compression spring 23 which isprovided for returning the formation tester to a position with theretaining valve closed when the weight of the drill string is relieved.During such downward movement of the upper portion of the formationtester, yequalizing valve assembly I7 is adapted to be closed. Tripvalve I3 is adapted to be permanently opened by dropping a ,go-devildown the drill string to allow formation fluid or the like to iiowupwardly into the drill string for a drill stem sample.

The adjustable flow bean assembly, embodying the present invention, isbest shown in the enlarged Figures 2A and 2B. This adjustable ow beanapparatus comprises a housing generally entitled 25 formed of aplurality of parts including an upper sub 27, a nut housing 2S, a lowersub 3| and a bottom sub 33 all suitably threadedly connected together asshown, the bottom sub belng connected to the lower portion of theforma-v tion tester II.

, The flow bean assembly is nonrotatably connected by the lower portionof the formation tester to the packer I9 so that the housing iseffectively fixed or stationary when the packer I9 is set in the wellbore.

' Telescopically received within housing 25 is an upper mandrelgenerally entitled having connected to its upper end an extensionsection Se which is threadedly connected to a top sub il which in turnis connected to the upper portion of the formation tester I I. Acompression spring 4E surrounds the upper part or upper mandrel 35 andbears at its lower end against a thrust bearing 53 and at its upper endagainst the lower face of an internally threaded adjustment collar 5,threadedly received by top sub 4l. Below thrust bearing 43 is a splitring 4l upon which the thrust bearing is mounted, said split ringbearing against the upper sub 21. There is suitable packing 49surrounding upper mandrel 35 and retained in operative position by apacking gland Mandrel 35 and housing 25 are releasably locked againstrelative rotative movement by keys 53 and keyways 54 formed respectivelyon mandrel 35 and upper sub 21.

At its lower end, upper mandrel 35 operatively threadedly engages atraveling nut 55 which is slidably but non-rotatably received within nuthousing 29 by a spline connection shown at 57s. Threadedly secured tothe lower end of traveling nut 55 is a lower tubular mandrel iI which isslidably received through lower sub 3 I. A springloaded downwardlyopening check valve t3 closes the lower end of lower tubular mandrel Si.

Lower mandrel 6I has a plurality of vertically spaced flow bean passagesor ports 55 formed in the walls thereof which ports are normally closedas shown in Fig. 2B by the walls of the central bore of sub 3l. As isclearlyv apparent from Fig. 2B, the passages or ports progressivelyincrease in size from the lowermost to the uppermost thereof. Betweenvertically adjacent passages or ports, and above the upper set ofpassages and below the lower passage, there are provided O Y rings 67carried by the lower mandrel @l in suitable annular groovesformedthereon.

As is obvious from Figs. 2 and 3, the internal diameter of bottom sub 33is considerably larger than the internal diameter of lower sub 3l so Ythat an enlarged bore is provided into which the lower end of lowermandrel @I extends and into which the ported portion of lower mandrel E!is adapted to be projected to expose one or several ports. n

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The formation tester 8with the flow bean assembly incorporated therein is lowered into a wellbore and the packer I9 set, closing off the formation Zone below thepacker from the portion of the well bore above the packer. The interiorvof the drill string will be at approximately atmosphereic pressure and,therefore, constitutes a low pressure zone relative to the high pressurein the formation zone. After the packer I9 is set, the upper portionY ofthe drill string above compression spring 23 can be lowered, compressingspring l 23 and first closing equalizing valve I'I and then subsequentlyopening retaining valve I5 while simultaneously compressing spring i2and clearing keys 53 of keyways 54. This downward movement is such as toclear the keys and 'keyways but nottoexpose the lowermost port 65,compression spring t2 permitting only sufficient downwardtelescopingmovement to clear the keys and key- 4 ways. In this condition, uponrotation of the drill string, upper mandrel 35 is rotated to causetraveling nut 55 to move downwardly carrying detrimental effects whichwould otherwise occur in the formation zone from suddenly exposingV theformation Zone to a low pressure area. Furthermore, the detrimentaleects to the forma-- tion tester or other equivalent tool will beavoided since the formation fluid normally contains sand or otherabrasive particles which erode or badly wear the formation tool ifuncontrolled flow of the formation fluid into the low pressure string:

is permitted.

It will be appreciated that prior to the disengagement of keys 53 fromkeyways se, a rotatable drive is provided through the flow beanassembly,

therefore allowing rotative movement to be imparted to devices below theflow bean. It isfurther pointed out that by the provision of 0 rings thefluid now along the exterior of lower tubular mandrel SI between thelower tubular mandrel and sub 3| is prohibited at all times whether one,or several, or no parts are exposed. lf such fluid flow were allowed,the erosion and wear on the lower tubular mandrel and sub 3l would beconsiderable since the formation fluid underV high pressure would jet athigh velocity through the very narrow annular passage.

After the formation test or drill stringtestA is made, it may be desiredto circulate uid down through the drill string and this is permitted bythe spring-loaded downwardly opening check valve 53.

While we have shown the preferred form of our invention, it is to beunderstood that various changes may be made in its construction by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention asdened in the appended Y claims. Y

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

l. A device of the class described, comprising an upper tubular mandrelformed at its upper end for securernent to the lower end of a drillstring or the like to be rotatable therewith. a housing telescopicallyand rotatably receiving the upper mandrel and connected at its lower endto a packer assembly adapted to he 4set in aV well bore or casing, a nutthreadedly engaging the upper mandrel and slidably but non-rotatablyengaging the housing, adapted upon rotation of the upper mandrel to beforced downwardly, a lower tubular mandrel carried by the nut andslidably received by'a small bore formed in the housing, said lowermandrel having a plurality of vertically spaced passages formed in thewalls thereof and normally closed by the walls ofthe small bore, saidpassages progressively increasing in size from the lowermost to theuppermost thereof, said housingY having an enlarged bore therein intowhich the lower mandrel is adapted to be progressively projected toprogressivelyy expose the passages from the lowermost to the upperrnostas the drill string is rotated, and means for releasably locking theupper mandrel and housing against relative rotation, including a key onthe upper mandrel engaging a keyway formed on the housing and movableout of alignment with the keyway upon downward movement of the uppermandrel relative to the housing.

2. A device of the class described, comprising an upper tubular mandrelformed at its upper end for secureznent to the lower end of a drillstring or the like to be rotatable therewith, a housing telescopicallyand rotatably receiving the upper mandrel and connected at its lower endto a packer assembly adapted to be set in a well bore or casing, a nutthreadedly engaging the upper mandrel and slidably but non-rotatablyengaging the housing, adapted upon rotation of the upper mandred to beforced downwardly, a lower tubular mandrel carried by the nut andslidably received by a small bore formed in the housing, said lowermandrel having a plurality of vertically spaced passages formed in thewalls thereof and normally closed by the walls of the small bore, saidpassages progressively increasing in size from the lowermost to theuppermost thereof, said housing having an enlarged bore therein intowhich the lower mandrel is adapted to be progressively projected toprogressively expose the passages from the lowermost to the uppermost asthe drill string is rotated, said lower mandrel having O rings carriedthereby between vertically adjacent passages, below the lowermostpassage and above the uppermost passage, for sealing engagement with thewalls of the small bore to prevent passage of iluid along the exteriorof the lower mandrel between the lower mandrel and said walls, and meansfor releasably locking the upper mandrel and housing against relativerotation, including a key on the upper mandrel engaging a keyway formedon the housing and movable out of alignment with the keyway upondownward movement of the upper mandrel relative to the housing.

3. Adevice of the class described, comprising an upper tubular mandrelformed at its upper end for securement to the lower end of a. drillstring or the like to be rotatable therewith. a

6 housing telescopically and rotatably receiving the upper mandrel andconnected at its lower end to a packer assembly adapted to be set in awell bore or casing, a nut threadedly engaging the upper mandrel andslidably but non-rotatably engaging the housing, adapted upon rotationof the upper mandrel to be forced downwardly, a lower tubular mandrelcarried by the nut and slidably received by a small bore formed in thehousing, said lower mandrel having a plurality of vertically spacedpassages formed in the walls thereof and normally closed by the walls ofthe small bore, said passages progressively increasing in size from thelowermost to the uppermost thereof, said housing having an enlarged boretherein into which the lower mandrel is adapted to he progressivelyprojected to progressively espose the passages from the lowermost to theuppermost as the drill string is rotated, a downwardly openingspring-loaded check valve closing the lower end oi the lower mandrel,said lower mandrel having O rings carried thereby and disposed betweenvertically adjacent passages, below the lowermost passage, and above theuppermost Y passage for sealing engagement with the walls of said smallbore to prevent passage of fluid along the exterior of the lower mandrelbetween the lower mandrel and said walls, and means for releasablylocking the upper mandrel and housing against relative rotation,including a key on the upper mandrel engaging a keyway formed on thehousing and movable out of alignment with the keyway upon downwardmovement of the mandrel relative to the housing.

MORDICA O. JOHNSTON.

HARRY C. SKIPPER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

